Karin Allen is an assistant professor and USU Extension food quality andPhoto of Karin Allen entrepreneurship specialist in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences. Her work the past four years has been a lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, teaching food science and culinary courses. Her research interests include extending food shelf life using natural ingredients, and finding ways to improve the nutritional degree of foods without compromising flavor. She is a devout gardener, enjoying investigating other options to canning in order to maximize the annual harvest yield. Following a move to Cache Valley in 1997 with her husband and two daughters, Allen earned a bachelor’s in culinary arts and food science management, followed by a masters and doctorate in the same field, from Utah State University.